jueves, 4 de junio de 2015

New findings by archeologists excavating a prehistoric site in Jordan
may shed new light on the way early humans transitioned from
hunter-gatherers to farmers. But the discoveries also reveal the
dramatic consequences of ancient climate changes.

Driving through arid, barren lava fields in Jordan’s Black Desert, it
is hard to imagine that about 14,000 years ago, this was the area where
humans started a revolutionary transition - from hunting and gathering
to farming.

University of Copenhagen archaeologist Tobias Richter, who leads the
excavation, says findings made so far show that after the last Ice Age,
there was much more water here than there is today.

“When people appeared to have started to settle here, this would have
been an extensive wetland area with birds, with lots of wetland plants
that we found in the excavation, water fowl, herds of gazelle, of wild
ass, of onager, roaming around this landscape. One can imagine it
perhaps a little bit like the Serengeti in Africa," said Richter.

At this site, close to the Syrian border, scientists have found
evidence that the area was occupied by a large number of humans who may
have decided to stay because of the abundance of animals suitable for
hunting.
Researchers think the lush richness of the land is also why the hunters eventually decided to settle down and begin farming.

Stone artifacts, along with bones of a child and an adult found
nearby, may help scientists piece together a story about the lives of
Neolithic humans - what plants and animals they grew and how they
interacted within their social groups. [...] voanews.com